Panda & Sons is an innovative speakeasy-inspired bar situated in Edinburgh's New Town, while Holyrood Distillery is Edinburgh's only city centre whisky distillery. The folks at Holyrood chatted with Panda & Sons' assistant manager Sean Moggach and asked him to recommend his favourite cocktail.

What's your name and can you tell us a little bit about yourself and Panda & Sons?

My name is Sean. I'm the assistant manager here at Panda & Sons. Panda & Sons is a nice little cocktail bar based in the New Town of Edinburgh. Its been open for just over ten years. We like to get a bit geeky back of house but we don't take ourselves too seriously in front of the house. 

What makes the Edinburgh bar scene so unique?

I think that it massively punches above its weight. You can't really get this kind of calibre in different cities. If you do, you need to go somewhere that's got a much larger capital and population. And the community involved is awesome. We look out for each other and strive and push. The Edinburgh Bar Show really showcases the talent in the city.

Can you tell us the name of the cocktail, what's in it and why you chose to showcase this one?

This is the Seville Negroni. Basically we freeze dry mandarin and then vacuum blend it into Height Of Arrows gin. We add a touch of Valentian Rosso Vermouth and Campari. We find that the freeze dried mandarin really elevates the gin and captures the freshness of the fruit, whilst also adding this juiciness to it which complements the already delicious gin.

Why is Height Of Arrows a good choice for this gin-based cocktail?

Height Of Arrows gin is a classic London dry style, super juniper forward but it's got a backbone. It stands up to the bold flavours used in the cocktail and doesn't get lost. Though it also adds a lighter note to complement the orange flavours, it provides the perfect balance. We think it works great in this negroni.

In your opinion what makes a delicious gin cocktail?

Any cocktail is a balancing act, but a great final product comes down to good quality produce and high quality ingredients. We get offered a lot of different things from all across the world, but we don't use ingredients purely because they're local; we just use local because it's good.

Panda & Sons, 79 Queen Street, Edinburgh, EH2 4NF. Holyrood Distillery; Holyrood Distillery, 19 St Leonard's Lane, Edinburgh, EH8 9SH.